We are excited to be part of the Tacoma Glass recycling project. Recently the city of Tacoma has done away with glass recycling pickup for residences within the city. Instead, they have replaced the service with a handful of glass recycling drop off bins on the far ends of town. We realized quickly, along with many others, that these changes have a significant impact on our sustainability as a city. These drop-off sites are not a viable option for many. The reasons include:
- Not enough time.
- No vehicle or transportation to get to the drop off sites.
- You have better things to do.
The changes to the glass recycling program in Tacoma has left out many demographics who are now stockpiling or disposing of their recycling in the the landfill waste.
Our mission is simple, and it is to keep Tacoma recycling their glass waste despite the city’s decision to eliminate glass recycling pickup. The important part is to keep our services accessible to everyone within our service area, which is why we offer a financial assistance to program so money is never a barrier.
What We Are Offering
We offer affordable, and sliding scale glass recycling pickup to Tacoma residences in zip codes 98407, 98406, 98403. Signups are easy, and we can provide you with a bin if you do not have your own already.
If you live in the area, and/or are interested in the service, we encourage you to signup on the North End Tacoma Glass Recycling website here.
Where it started.
One of the surprisingly positive things that has come out of the Covid-19 mandated stay at home order, is extra time. With this extra time, it allowed us to refocus on our mission to raise awareness about sustainability for industries and individuals.
The spark allowed us the capacity to start a program that there is a large need for. More importantly our service has an immediate positive impact on the environment. In our first two months we are happy to say we have been able to recycle just over 900 pounds of glass recycling.
In the future we are eager to expand our territory to the surrounding area beyond North Tacoma. For now however we are happy to have a positive impact at any scale.
How much does it cost?
Currently There are two options for the glass recycling pickup service.
- Weekly Pickup - $20 per month
- Bi-monthly pickup - $15 per month
Financial Assistance - Keep in mind if you and your family are currently experiencing financial hardship, we offer a phenomenal financial assistance program. Please contact northendrecycle@gmail.com to get more information.
What is required from you?
Recycling Bin - You may use either you own recycling bin that may have been given to you by the city, or you can purchase one from us for a one-time fee. The only stipulation, if you use your own bin, is that it is no larger than 2 ft x 2 ft x 2 ft.
Clean and Unbroken Glass Only - Make sure your glass is clean and unbroken. Glass will not be accepted and considered contaminated if these requirements are not met.
Set It Out- Set out glass in a pre-designated area on your scheduled days. We will do the rest!
Where we are going from here
As this program grows, we will be able to serve a larger number of families, starting with Tacoma. Currently we serve North Tacoma but we have heard from many, that they would would benefit from this service in their area. We anticipate this to be a community operated and cooperatively owned company.
If you are interested in getting involved or have any questions, we would love to hear from you: northendrecycle@gmail.com
